Keirstin Townsend joins ThoughtForm

ThoughtForm is proud to announce that we have hired Keirstin Townsend as a project manager. She recently found some time in her busy schedule to share a little bit about herself and offer some valuable career advice.

Tell us a little bit about your background.

I grew up in the Pittsburgh area but left for my college years to attend CU Boulder. After completing my undergraduate degree in Journalism Media Studies, I moved from the Rocky Mountains to the bayous of Louisiana to teach elementary special education as a Teach For America corps member. While teaching, I met my now-husband (who is also from Pittsburgh) in Baton Rouge. We moved home together to fulfill a lifelong dream of entrepreneurship. I’ve spent the last seven years successfully growing a custom apparel production company from the ground up.

What led you to a career with ThoughtForm?

I found the start-up phase of owning a business particularly engaging. Once things were running smoothly, I got the itch to further develop my skill set in organizational leadership, project management, and strategic planning. I obtained my Project Management Professional certification in the spring of 2019. Ultimately I was introduced to ThoughtForm through another business consultant I was working with who felt my insatiable curiosity and critical analysis skills would be a great fit with the company. The stars aligned and I am thrilled to join a dynamic team of creative professionals.

What’s an example of a design you admire today? (This could be a website, a product, a poster, anything).

LokoKitchen (@lokokitchen on Instagram) is a self-taught baker who creates incredible geometric pie art. Her use of color, texture, and layout elevates something as simple as pie. Her ability to draw inspiration from the world around her and translate it through food design is something I admire.

What advice do you have for someone just getting started down a similar career path to your own?

Seek out people doing the kind of work you ultimately want to do and invite them out for coffee. Ask them lots of questions about how they got where they are today. Ask them to connect you with other people who are willing to talk to you about their experiences. Hearing the often-times surprising journey of others will help you shape your own vision for your future and most importantly, to take action towards that vision.

Welcome to the team, Keirstin!